


Up In Smoke

by 00javierbardem



Category: 00silva - Fandom
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-30
Updated: 2014-11-30
Packaged: 2018-02-27 12:53:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2693699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/00javierbardem/pseuds/00javierbardem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Graphic depictions of Tiago's torture and his internal struggle to survive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Up In Smoke

They make him scream. They make him bleed. They put the cold hard steel of a loaded gun barrel to his head and make him beg for them to pull the trigger, just to yank it away and make him howl with their inflictions. He tries with every ounce of his will to go numb, but he cannot. Every time he does, they just make the pain much worse and set his nerves alight. They serve him dirty water that they usually urinate in, in dog bowls and leave him until he is so thirsty he has no choice but to chug it. They rarely give him food, and when they do, it's either drugged or repulsive. He is never free.

His cell has little oxygen. He is only rewarded with clean air when they pull him out and force him into another room so they can introduce new methods of torture. Biting, clawing, cutting, burning, beating, and bruising. None is ever less excruciating than the other. If they do something that doesn't give him the agonizing effect they wished, they make it worse. Much worse.

They humiliate him. They strip him naked and tie him up or down. Sometimes they reward him with clothing, and the second he gets hopeful, they tear it off again and cackle before delivering outrageous amounts of pain to his groin. They never show mercy.

Sleep never comes without nightmares. Even when he is being temporarily relieved of torment, his mind burdens him with taunts.

"You deserve this."

"She'll never forgive you."

"Beg them for mercy."

"This is all your fault."

"Tell them all of your dirty little secrets."

"They'll never let you go."

"You'll be here forever."

"There is no escape."

"Not even she can help you now."

The thoughts make him wail. They terrify him to the point where he welcomes the physical agony, as long as they take his mind off of those penetrating words of hopelessness. 

He is all too aware of the escape that lurks within his back left molar. He remembered it from the moment he was dragged here. He has hoped and prayed that he wouldn't ever have to use it, and even still he was not ready to give up. He tries to imagine her frantically pacing her office, speaking to search officers over the mic.

"I don't care how long it takes, we're going to find the bloody agent if it's the last thing this organization does!"  
He hoped that was how it was happening. He hoped they were looking for him. He had to. It was the only life raft for him to cling to. It was all he had left.

****

"Wake up!" A voice shouted as a hard slap singed the side of Tiago's face. Blinding white light rushed through his eyes so quickly that it made his head throb. He squinted to scan around him limply. He was in another cell. The lights here were traumatizing with their brightness. His head rolled downwards and he noticed his bare feet were several inches off of the grimy ground. As if on cue, the awful soreness of holding his body weight echoed through his wrists and shot into his upper back like venom. Sure enough, when he weakly glanced up, his wrists were tied together above his head by a dry, itchy rope that scratched his hands raw.

There were three men in the room. The one who had just slapped Tiago was named Han, and was a short, thin man who could pack one hell of a punch. He did most of the questioning. There was another who stood behind Han, who was smoking a cigar, and whose name Tiago had come to learn was Ming. He was tall and stout and built like a semi-truck, but he never spoke. He bore puffy dark eyes and was always the one to make Tiago hurt the most. The third man was perhaps the scariest of all. He was a General who had served in China's military his entire life. Tiago did not know his name, as the other men never uttered it. He was tall for a Chinese man, and he was old, but certainly not fragile. He wore wrinkles around his black beady eyes and had small scars on his colorless face. Silvery-grey hair was neatly parted atop his head and he always wore his uniform. He was the master behind all of this, and as much as he didn't want to, Tiago feared this man almost more than anything else.

 

"What did I say about falling asleep?" Han barked, his eyes wide with control. He loved controlling Tiago. He feasted on his suffering, so much so that sometimes he went as far as to "address himself" to Tiago's torment. It gave him great pleasure.

"It only leads to more suffering," Tiago recited in a tired, gravelly voice. Han grinned the grin of a psychopath.

"Then that's what you're going to get." Han turned to Ming, who removed his cigar from his lips and walked over to Tiago, circling him like a shark circles its prey in the water, a beastly smile upon his lips. Tiago could feel the man's eyes scanning him up and down, and he wished more than ever to have clothing, as he felt embarrassingly vulnerable.

Ming stopped in front of Tiago and gazed up into his fearful eyes, who were already tearing up as preparation for what was to come. Ming shoved the lit end of his cigar into the crevice of Tiago's navel, causing him to growl in pain, and thick veins emerged from his neck because of the strain. He stared straight ahead to avoid eye contact with his torturer with hot tears pooling from his eyes and a whimper emitting from his lips as the sizzling pain continued. Ming was relentless and only pressed the cigar harder into Tiago's navel.

"Beg!" Han shouted from behind, clearly enjoying the sight. Tiago clenched his eyes shut. He hated this. He despised it. He was never one to give in, never to let anyone dominate him. He had to be in control. But the pain was unbearable. More than that, the fear of what his massacred belly button would look like afterwards was horrific. Tiago drooped his head, now sobbing through clenched teeth. He gathered his emotions and quietly, he begged.

"Please," He muttered softly, his voice thick with emotion as he continued to bawl. 

"Louder!" Han barked cruelly.

"Please!" Tiago howled, nearly unable to speak through his tears and the agony.

"Please what!?" Han responded mercilessly. Ming did not ease up the pressure of the cigar. Tiago could nearly smell the burning flesh by now as it continued to rot. Finally, he gave in.

"Please quit torturing me, master!" Tiago bawled. Ming pulled out the cigar, and the excruciating fiery burn became a numb tingling singe in his navel. Tiago wept messily, as saliva fell from his lips in long strings and tears soaked his cheeks. Han approached and patted his hair in praise.

"Good boy," He grunted. Tiago dared to raise his head and peered at the General through the wall of moisture in his eyes. The man remained expressionless, but Tiago knew he was pleased. They always were. 

****

"Do I get a reward?" Tiago asked like a child asks their parent to end their grounding. Tiago was aware of the desperation in his voice. He was aware that he had succumbed to the level that they wanted him to. He was aware that he had given up, but he simply could not bear it any longer. His lips were flaky and parched, his throat was sore with dryness, and he felt helplessly weak with dehydration.

"What would you like?" Han asked, with surprising kindness. Tiago figured he was waltzing right into a trap, that this would probably backfire, but he could think of nothing but a bowl of fresh tap water.

"Water. Please, master. I just need water," He plead breathlessly, exhausted from being suspended in the air and the physical toll he had just paid. Han paused in thought for a brief moment. Tiago did not notice the eye contact Han made with the General. 

Han then gestured for Ming to fetch some water, much to Tiago's delight. Han pulled out a knife and cut the rope that bound Tiago's wrists together, and he fell to the ground with a thud. "Thank you, master," he said gratefully. Ming came back with a large bowl of fresh water, and Han ordered him to set it down right in front of Tiago, who crawled over in despair and sunk his head into the bowl, sucking every ounce he could manage and letting the coolness of the water to soak his hot, inflamed face. He drank until his throat was no longer dry and his lips were moistened. He felt as if he had been drinking for an eternity when he lifted his head from the bowl, but when he did, he immediately regretted it. He immediately regretted asking for water, for being so desperate and so stupid. Han stood back against the far wall, lurking in the shadows, but the General stood like a skyscraper right in front of Tiago, so close he could smell the mud on his boots. The General almost never interacted with Tiago, but the times that he did, it was an absolute nightmare.

Tiago warily gazed up at the man who's feet belonged in those boots and he gulped in fear. The General's face was menacing and angry as his beady eyes glared down upon Tiago.

"Get up," the man growled. Tiago obeyed cautiously. It felt strange to stand on his feet from his suspension and he was wobbly, but somehow he was able to stand, and even then, the General was a head taller than him. They were face to face, so close Tiago could see every ripple in the white and pink scars on his face. Suddenly, the General shot out his hand and clutched Tiago by the neck, slightly lifting him from the ground and cutting off his air supply.

"Don't you know better than to ask for exceptions? Don't you know that WE are in control!? That WE own you!? You don't have the RIGHT to ask for ANYTHING!" The General boomed in a ferocious roar, and Tiago would have been legitimately scared had he not been diving in and out of consciousness like a dolphin in the water. His lungs struggled for air and his windpipe felt as if it were being slowly crushed as the General gave one final squeeze with his powerful hand, then released Tiago, who fell gasping and coughing to the ground.

The General delivered a fierce kick to Tiago's ribs, and he collapsed to his side with a pained groan.

"So now you must pay," The General stated, staring down at Tiago like a hunter stares down upon his injured, pathetic prey. Tiago clutched at the ache in his ribs as Ming came, picked him up, and hauled him off like a rag doll. Tiago did not resist.

****

They beat him. It was a group of men Tiago isn't even familiar with, plus Ming. They kick him until he cannot move. Then they hold him back while one takes a leather whip to his back. He can feel deep gashes rip open upon his back with every lash. He doesn't know how many they do. Enough to make him scream bloody murder. Enough to make him shout for help, knowing that there isn't any.

When they're done they throw him to the concrete floor and leave him. He is in so much pain that the screaming continues. It continues for hours. He cannot move. His back is a disastrous mess of blood and fiery agony. He lays on his stomach and screams. Just screams.

****

"M!! Please mommy come!!! I need you! I NEED YOU! I ALWAYS NEEDED YOU!!! I DID EVERYTHING FOR YOU! WHY AREN'T YOU HERE!?" He sobbed so powerfully he sounded unrecognizable, even to himself. "WHY DO I DESERVE THIS!? WHY AM I HERE!? IS THIS A CURSE!?" His anger pooled within him like blood from an open wound, and he worked up the strength to push himself off of his stomach and onto his knees. His glared up at the ceiling.

"WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I NEEDED YOU!? I'M A GOOD PERSON, I NEVER DID ANYTHING WRONG! WHY HAVE YOU PUT ME HERE!? WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS HELL!? PLEASE TAKE ME! TAKE ME WITH YOU! NOT DOWN HERE! PLEASE ANY PLACE BUT HERE!" He shouted and cursed and yelled and screamed and hollered and pleaded until his energy slowly began to fade, and he whimpered softly in a hoarse, croaky voice.

"Mother, where are you? Are you coming? Please come save me! I'll be a good boy just please come save me. I'm sorry, mommy. I'm so sorry. Please don't leave me. I love you. You're the only mother I ever had. Please don't let me go. I need you. I love you mommy. Please..." There never was an answer. Not from above, not from her. There was only silence. Nothing but pure and utter silence. It cut into Tiago like a knife through butter. It crushed and balled up his every last bit of hope like a candy bar wrapper. It drained him of his spirit and his faith. She wasn't coming. He knew it. He knew it now more than ever. He could see it clear as day. It was crystal-clear. 

How could he be so stupid!? Of course she wasn't coming! She didn't care about him. He was an employee and nothing more. She was no mother of his. She didn't love him back. She had never searched for any other agent who had gone missing, why did he think he was an exception!? He was probably long forgotten. She had probably written his obituary already. He was dead in her eyes. Didn't she care?

No. Of course not. How had he gotten here? The Chinese didn't track him, he didn't leave a single trace for them to follow. He was smarter than that. She gave him up! She had to! But why? What would she gain? The agents! She wanted the six agents they had held hostage. Of course she would! She was business first! She would easily have traded him for those agents. In her eyes, she would have gained more. That bitch! 

"She betrayed you."

"She turned you in."

"She gave you up."

"You're nothing to her."

The voices returned in a harsh, evil whisper. But this time Tiago listened. He didn't block them out. He fed on them, he let them fuel the raging inferno inside. He let them seep into his mind and fester until they became not just thoughts, but the truth. How dare she be so cruel! How dare she give him up. How dare she betray his trust. How dare she make him feel so loved and so secure, just to stab him in the back. How dare she feed him to the very wolves that he tried to protect people from. HOW DARE SHE!

Tiago's rage grew and churned in his stomach until it was hotter than the pain that radiated from his wounds. He would show her! If she wanted him to suffer, he would escape. He would flee. He would not give in! He would do the opposite! He would set himself free! He would arise like an angel from the darkness. He would go up in smoke! But first... He had to say goodbye to his friends. He had to have the last laugh.

****

What seemed like hours passed before they came for him. Tiago had fallen asleep, but was rudely awakened by the abrupt force of being thrown into a chair. His eyes shot open and he gazed at his captors, who were binding his wrists to the arms of the chair. The General stood straight across from Tiago with a grim expression. Tiago clenched his jaw.

The two men who bound his wrists left the room as quickly as they had thrown him into the chair. He was left alone with the General, who pulled up a chair and sat directly across from Tiago, within arm's reach. The General's eyes scanned Tiago's face and then rested upon his chest. He reached out his hand and let his finger lightly dance over a scar on Tiago's peck. Tiago stared at him in incredulous confusion. The General's hand continued to explore Tiago's torso, then finally his abdomen, where he touched his wounds, both old and new.

"Tiago, do you know how many of these scars you have acquired here?" The General asked, making it sound more like a statement than a question. Tiago felt a chill tingle up his spine at the sound of the man saying his name.

"No," Tiago whispered, letting his head droop and his eyelids flutter. He thought of all of the torment he had endured here. The whipping, the beating, the burning, the cutting, and the stabbing. How it had all brought him here; led him to this. How she had fed him to the dogs.

The General pursed his lips. 

"I think scars are beautiful. They are markings of a time when we endured a pain that brought us close to death. They are the kisses of death, as my father used to call them." Tiago swallowed. His throat was swollen and sore, and his tongue kept lingering over the capsule, determining when to break it. Determining when to break free.

"But you see, the scars that hurt us the most are the ones inside. The ones that we cannot see, but we can certainly feel," the General continued. Tiago's mind started to drift, and his head leaned to the side as his eyes swam around the room. 

"So you see, Tiago," the General hissed, swiftly shooting out his hand to clench Tiago's jaw. "Because I truly despise you and because these are consequences of your own foolish actions, I'm going to scar you inside and out." The General spat out those last few words and Tiago stared wide-eyed in fear. Never had he encountered such an intimidating being that struck fright into his heart with every word of which he intended to.

The General released Tiago's jaw just as Tiago noticed Han, Ming, and one other man entering the room, carrying wires and dragging a machine. The General stood back in preparation to watch. Han came over and taped wires to his chest and hooked them up to the machine. Tiago instantly knew what this was, and he quickly began to panic. They were going to electrocute him. Ever since he was a child, he had a phobia of electrocution after an incident that scarred him for life.

Ming wrapped a blindfold around Tiago's eyes, and he was engulfed in darkness. After a short pause, the General began to speak.

"You are about to experience what it is like for thousands of volts of electricity to flow through your veins for long, agonizing seconds at a time. Believe me, it isn't fun. So, Han will begin the interrogation and if you deliver an answer that he or I do not like, ZAP!" Tiago shuddered in fear. He was paralyzed in panic, and his heart raced at an abnormal speed.

Tiago could hear Han approach. He could hear his boots scuffing the floor as he paced around Tiago, enjoying his power over the man. Tiago could hear the cockiness in his step, and it made him angry. It made him really angry. He was done being controlled. Done being manipulated. It would all be over very very soon.

"What is today's date?" Han questioned, clearly being unfair.

"How am I supposed to know?" Tiago growled in response. Then his body tensed and his head shot back as the painfully loud buzz of electricity shot through him like a bullet, roasting him from inside out. He could not help it. He screamed for all it was worth. He felt the buzz's vibrations in his pulse and the heat of the electricity cooking his organs.

Finally the flow was ceased and Tiago panted sharp, shallow breaths. His lungs felt like they were smoke houses. He could not take that again. He was done. He had reached his breaking point. Now it was time. It was what he had been waiting for.

"What is the real name of this... M?" Han asked, spitting out her name. M. How badly he wanted to expose her now, to let them hunt her down. But he wouldn't. He couldn't. It was funny, how after everything she put him through, he was still her loyal little rat. It was hilarious, in fact. Actually, it was hysterical that after everything, he was better than her and he knew it. He knew it so deeply, that he couldn't help but begin to cackle.

Tiago's low, quiet cackle sprouted into a joyous laugh, and then finally a maniacal hysteria. He laughed uncontrollably until finally, there was a silence. All the while, everyone in the room had paused, staring on in confusion, unsure of whether to electrocute him or just wait. Tiago took advantage of this precious few seconds.

"How stupid you all are. How pitifully foolish. Perhaps I'll see you in hell, no?" The General understood this all too well and lunged for Tiago, reaching him just as he broke the tooth with a loud, audible crack. Foam immediately clouded and bubbled from his lips, and Tiago grinned, wishing dearly he could see their faces as he fled.

The taste of hydrogen cyanide was just as repulsive as it was delicious. It was the bitter, acidic taste of freedom, and for the moment, Tiago welcomed it. His eyes rolled back in his head as the foam edged down his throat, stinging his esophagus. Then the poison that gathered in his stomach, lodged in his throat, and danced in his mouth all at once became a raging inferno. Tiago thrashed about as the chemical melted him away, corroding his fragile insides and destroying the left side of his face. Panicked yells and shouts and Chinese curses ricocheted violently in the background, but Tiago barely heard it over the sound of his sizzling flesh. The flames licked near his eye and engulfed his gums and set his nerves alight like a blazing torch. Fire was all he felt. Fire was all he thought of. Then the whole world went up in smoke.

****

November 17th, 2006

"Why him?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't know who this is, but I'm afraid I must hang up now," she replied.

"Olivia Mansfield. I know exactly who you are," he said.

"Are you implying a threat?" She questioned.

"Depends. Just tell me why you chose him and no harm will come to you," he lied.

"You're referring to Bond, aren't you?" She asked knowingly.

"He was just promoted, was he not?"

"That's classified information," she replied bluntly.

"I'm sure it is," he taunted. "You know you cannot trace this line, if that's why you're maintaining conversation with me. It's untraceable." There was a pause.

"Then who the bloody hell are you?" She asked in frustration. This time he paused, staring at the laptop screen in front of him, at the man on the screen with the short blond hair and ocean blue eyes. He sighed longingly. Then he spoke, his voice grim and intimidating.

"Do not be concerned with who I am. That may reveal itself someday, and it may not. But here's what you're going to do. You're going to hang up and you're going to push this incident into the back of your mind. You'll never think of it or make any attempt to access it again. Perhaps one day you shall. One day everything will become clear and when that day comes, just know I am lurking in the shadows."

"Then what do you propose I do until then?" She asked. He chuckled on the other end of the line.

"Why, think on your sins, mother." And with that he hung up.

"Is everything alright, ma'am?" Bond asked sincerely, noticing the look of concern on M's face. She smirked reassuringly.

"Everything's fine."

M and Bond wandered onto the balcony of the building, staring out at the city of London. 

"Such a busy city," Bond noted thoughtfully. M pursed her lips in agreement. "Who was that... On the phone?" Bond asked without taking his eyes from the view. M sighed.

"Truthfully, I do not know," she replied solemnly. "But I have a feeling that someday you and I will both find out." Bond turned to look at her.

"When?" He asked.

"Whenever he's ready."

**Author's Note:**

> So excited to finally post this one! Worked super hard on it and I must say, the ending is my favorite part! Fun fact: November 17th, 2006 is the release date of Casino Royale in the U.S. Anyways, enjoy and leave feedback! If I receive enough positivity, I may continue this as a series ;)


End file.
